In 2009, Brian Sorge of Janesville hosted Thanksgiving like he has for years.

That year wasn't any different in that he planned, prepped and cooked to feed his immediate and extended family a feast they wouldn't forget.

Like any cook, he eats last--wanting to ensure his guests have enough sweet potato casserole, homemade mashed potatoes and their share of the 28-pound turkey.

At Thanksgiving 2009, Sorge waited until all his guests had their first plates and then filled his own plate with enough food to avoid getting up for seconds, maybe thirds. He was ready to relax and enjoy the food and company.

He sat in his usual spot, in the middle of the adult table, and right when he set his plate down and was getting ready to chow down, the table broke in half.

Sorge and his guests scrambled to rescue the food and drinks that spilled on the table. The table was put back together, and the meal went on.

While Sorge still hosts Thanksgiving dinner, two things have changed since 2009: There is a new adult table, and Sorge is no longer allowed to pile his plate as high.

SAC CITY, IOWA — Someone lost his or her turkey to a dog named Benjie.

Susan Schnirring of Wood River, Ill., says her father's dog wandered off one Thanksgiving in Sac City and came back to her parents' house with a half-thawed turkey in tow.

The guess is that someone left the turkey out on a porch to thaw, and Benjie thought it looked tasty enough to bring home and share.

WHITEWATER—To cook a turkey, start with a dash of salt. Then add a bit of pepper, stick the turkey in the oven and watch it shrink for two hours.

At least that is how Jacob Mueller of Washington Elementary School in Whitewater describes the process of cooking his Thanksgiving bird.

The students in Michelle Kuhlow's kindergarten class shared how they think the holiday meal's main entree is prepared, how long it takes for the turkey to turn golden brown and what savory taste it reminds them of.

“It tastes like waffles,” said Jacob, who really likes waffles.

Some of Jacob's classmates disagree.

“It tastes like peanuts,” Charlotte Hajewski said.

“It's like you're eating a chicken,” Tyler Housel added.

The students also debated how long it takes to cook a turkey.

Tyler's method takes 50 minutes.

“You put it in the oven, and when it's done making, you put it on an oven and then cut it in half and then eat it," Tyler said.

Before Tyler and his family eat, his father pokes the turkey so it is easier to cut in half. Tyler's favorite part of eating the turkey is throwing away the bones because “we don't eat bones.”

Accompanying Tyler's turkey are pears and strawberries to add variety to the meal.

Miranda Dahle agrees with Tyler that the turkey tastes like chicken, but inside her bird are stuffing and mashed potatoes. Her total cook time is five minutes.

Miranda's favorite part of helping her family cook the turkey is putting stuffing in the turkey.

“It felt like warm stuff, like fuzz,” Miranda said.

In the past, while her parents have cooked the turkey, they have taken “their pointy thing and stabbed it in there … to check how hot it is.”

Curtis Rossmiller said inside his turkey is “fruity stuff to add the flavor.”

If he had a choice, he wouldn't put anything inside the turkey. Curtis likes to keep the flavors simple, like his cooking method.

“You have this square thing, and you put needles on it, and then you cook it,” Curtis said.

The needles are used to keep the turkey, or the square thing, in place while it cooks in the oven for five minutes.

Skip the fruit, stuffing, salt and pepper, Melinda Dow said.

As the turkey cooks, you add a special sauce and “put the stick in it,” Melinda said.

The stick is used to check the temperature, and once that is checked, the turkey “cooks up” for 50 minutes in the oven, Melinda said.

Nothing goes inside the turkey, but you do mix the turkey and gravy together when you eat. And that is one of Melinda's favorite parts of the meal.

While Danika Larson is unsure how to prepare a turkey, she thinks it takes one minute to cook.

Danika's favorite part is watching the turkey in the oven transform before her eyes, however rapidly.

“It makes me want to eat it,” Danika said.

Not everyone eats turkey for Thanksgiving.

Keeriauna Winscom, 5, describes turkey as “gross” and said there are things in a turkey that aren't healthy for kids.

Instead of eating a turkey, she and her family eat Thanksgiving suckers, she said.

“They're with hearts and hats on them,” Keeriauna said. “They taste like raspberries.”